Shinde Sena upset over state's four Gokul nominees; Dhangekar warns BJP against interference

The state government has decided to appoint four directors to the Gokul milk union, heating up the politics around Gokul. Until yesterday, the Congress and the Thackeray-led Sena had been criticising the government. Now the Shinde Sena has joined in, and the issue has begun to look like a rift within the ruling alliance itself.

The Shinde Sena expressed displeasure over the appointment of the four directors. Its leader Ravindra Dhangekar then launched a strong attack on the BJP. Farmers have raised Gokul milk union like a child, he said, and told the BJP to respect the union, respect democracy and not cheat.

Dhangekar said the people's verdict matters in a democracy, and work has to be carried out respecting the verdict the people have given. But he alleged that an attempt is being made to leave some flaw so as to delay the election. He said such institutions are built by farmers going hungry, and that they nurture them like children. For that reason, he said, the result should be respected in Gokul without playing politics, the government should interfere as little as possible, and the institution should be preserved. He also told the BJP not to say one thing with the lips and keep another in the belly; what is in the belly should be what is on the lips. It is always better to eat with the straight hand than with the reverse hand, he said.

He also referred to the history of cooperatives. In 1950, Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil rooted the cooperative movement in Maharashtra, and 70 to 80 years have passed since. Maharashtra has made a great contribution to cooperation, and people are bound by close ties to many cooperative institutions. He said it is therefore not right to interfere so much in this institution in the present day. Even though his party is in power, he said, he does not think it right to speak in secret; cooperatives should be given freedom. Every chief minister the state has had strengthened these institutions and, when the time came, gave them financial strength too. But looking at Gokul, he said, it saddens him and makes him wonder whether there is democracy or not.

Saying that such elections must be impartial and that this is a victory for democracy, Dhangekar said there was earlier no government interference in cooperatives, but now it is visible. Party politics should not be played in cooperatives. A farmers' institution should remain in the hands of farmers. The institution should not be held hostage through politics and interference. These institutions are the lifelines of Maharashtra, he said; the government should strengthen them and not look at them politically. He also asked what is so special about the Gokul election that it has become bigger than the national election.